Case study

Electric Power Grid and Natural Gas Network Operations and Coordination

Natural gas and power sector operations in the U.S. are increasingly coupled, necessitating closer communication and coordination between the two. This study developed a modeling platform for exploring the potential benefits of coordination between the two sectors. The modeling platform links dynamic gas modeling in SAInt with production cost modeling of the power sector using PLEXOS. Creating this linkage enabled analysis of times when the power system solution was infeasible from the standpoint of the gas network. The modeling platform was applied to a range of case studies across different power and gas networks, including one developing from data of the Colorado region. The results of the study indicate that power and gas coordination generally improves total gas deliverability to the power sector, which reduces out-of- merit order dispatch in the electricity system, and that such coordination can be useful under a range of operating conditions and renewable penetrations. The results of the study are available here.